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UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS 
LIBRARY 

Class  Book  Volume 


Reprinted  from  The  Educational  Review  for  March,  1899, 
(Copyrighted  by  Henry  Holt  &  Co.) 


FOR  THE 


Audubon  Society  of  the  State  of  New  York, 


THE  EDUCATIONAL  VALUE  OF  BIRD-STUDY1 

In  our  necessarily  superficial  treatment  of  zoological 
studies  what  should  we  consider  as  of  primal  importance? 
A  knowledge  of  structural  affinities  and  classification,  or 
an  acquaintance  with  the  forms  of  life  about  us?  As  an 
answer  to  these  questions  let  me  ask  another:  What  is,  or 
should  be,  the  chief  object  of  elementary  nature-studies?  Is 
it  to  crowd  an  often  unappreciative,  because  unprepared, 
mind  with  generalities  and  technicalities,  or  to  bring  the 
student  into  direct  contact  with  Nature,  show  him  her  infi¬ 
nite  resources,  and  establish  between  him  and  the  outdoor 
world  an  intimacy  thru  which  he  will  derive  not  only  pleas¬ 
ure,  but  also  physical,  mental,  and  spiritual  strength? 

Interest  in  nature  is  inherent  and  universal,  but  to  be  self-' 
supporting  it  needs  encouragement.  The  same  fact  may  be 
made  to  arouse  eager  attention  or  to  cause  heavy-eyed 
apathy.  Let  us  begin,  therefore,  by  presenting  the  subject 
in  its  simplest  and  most  attractive  form,  gradually  awaken¬ 
ing  and  stimulating  an  interest  which  will  permit  our  pupils 
to  share  the  pleasures  of  Gilbert  White,  even  if  it  does  not 
enable  them  to  appreciate  the  philosophy  of  Darwin.  And 
by  simplest  form  I  mean  let  us  make  nature-study  real,  pos¬ 
sible,  personal.  Let  us  teach  children  to  know  the  animals 
which  they  may  actually  meet  in  nature.  Then  we  shall  not 
only  have  accomplished  something  practical  at  once,  but 
have  laid  the  foundation  for  those  broader  biological  ques¬ 
tions  which,  when  forced  on  an  unwilling,  because  untrained, 
mind,  create  a  dislike  for  the  subject  treated  which  will  for¬ 
ever  debar  one  from  its  enjoyment. 

In  order  to  be  impressed  by  man’s  inherent  interest  in  ani- 

1  An  address  delivered  before  the  third  annual  meeting  of  the  New  York  State 
Science  Teachers’  Association  at  the  American  Museum  of  Natural  History,  New 
York,  December  30,  1S98. 

242 


The  educational  value  of  bird-study  243 

mal  life  walk  thru  Central  Park,  New  York  City,  some  Sun¬ 
day  afternoon  and  see  where,  amid  all  its  many  attractions, 
people  do  most  congregate.  Is  it  in  the  quiet  nooks  of 
rocky  cliffs  or  rustic  retreats  by  the  lakeside,  on  shady  lawns 
that  invite  repose,  near  the  ponds  where  the  lily  and  lotus 
grow,  or  at  the  beds  of  rarely  beautiful  flowers?  No,  in  none 
of  these  places  shall  we  find  more  than  scattered  companies, 
but  go  where  the  animals  are  kept  and  you  will  find  such  a 
\  throng  of  visitors  that  not  a  cage  in  the  vfrhole'"  ccdlection  is 
without  its  crowd  of  eager  spectators.  It  is  not  alone  the 
number  of  persons  we  shall  find  there,  but  their  enjoyment  of 
what  they  see  that  is  impressive.  Men,  women,  and  children, 
of  all  ages  and  conditions  have  there  a  common  interest;  the 
fascination  of  the  place  is  convincingly  apparent. 

Now  without  pausing  here  to  determine  which  animal  or 
group  of  animals  holds  the  best  attended  reception,  birds 
alone  of  all  the  higher  animals  are  the  only  ones  surrounding 
us  in  sufficient  numbers  to  be  readily  observable.  But  birds’ 
claims  to  our  attention  do  not  rest  on  so  slight  a  basis  as  a 
mere  question  of  numerical  abundance.  No  other  forms  of 
life  possess  for  us  so  many  and  such  varied  interests.  In 
their  courtship,  nesting,  habits,  home-life,  and  intelligent 
adaptation  to  changing  new  conditions,  they  display  traits  of 
character  that  lead  us  to  establish  personal  relationships  with 
them.  Their  songs  are  the  most  eloquent  of  nature’s  voices. 
Their  periodic  comings  and  goings  appeal  to  our  imagina¬ 
tion,  and  we  marvel  at  the  instinct  which  guides  them  over  , 
journeys  thousands  of  miles  in  length.  And  it  is  this  habit 
of  migration  which  gives  to  bird-study  a  unique  character. 
The  student  of  botany  or  entomology  must  travel  if  he  would 
see  in  their  native  haunts  the  flowers  or  insects  of  other 

9 

climes.  But  the  bird-student  may  stay  at  home  and  receive 
visits  from  inhabitants  of  the  tropics  and  of  the  Arctic 
regions.  There  is  not  a  month  in  the  year  when  changes  are 
not  occurring  in  the  feathered  population  of  his  vicinity. 

The  potentialities  of  bird-study  are,  in  fact,  limitless,  but 
how  shall  we  make  them  available  to  our  pupils?  Do  we 
observe  in  children  an  inborn  interest  in  birds?  Is  there  any 


2 44  Educational  Review  [March 

natural  tendency  to  build  on?  One  has  only  to  talk  to 
young  people  about  their  feathered  neighbors  to  discover 
that  they  have  a  keen  desire  for  information  about  them. 
So  keen  a  desire  that,  lacking  information,  they  often  set 
about  the  task  of  self-education.  Too  often,  I  regret  to  say, 
this  leads  them  to  exhibit  an  undue  fondness  for  bird-nesting, 
in  which  they  display  a  greater  zeal  than  in  any  other  occupa¬ 
tion  of  boyhood,  outside  of  games  in  competition  with  their 
fellows.  But  with  everyone,  boys  and  girls  of  all  ages,  this 
inborn  liking  for  birds  is  shown  in  the  general  fondness  for 
cage-birds.  While  this  is  very  humble  evidence,  still  if  we 
pause  a  moment  and  think  of  the  hundreds  of  thousands  of 
people  who  care  enough  for  birds  to  give  a  caged  pet  daily 
attention,  and  who  find  pleasure  in  its  song  and  companion¬ 
ship,  we  shall  not  fail  to  be  impressed  by  the  universality  of 
this  love  of  birds. 

While  almost  wholly  unencouraged,  this  innate  tendency 
might  be  expected  to  show  in  some  degree  the  increase  in 
intellectuality  and  demand  for  knowledge  which  mark  the 
day,  and  we  see  that  there  has  arisen  an  independent  class  of 
bird-students,  composed  of  people  who  are  earnestly  trying 
to  become  acquainted  with  our  birds.  Within  the  past  six 
years,  to  my  personal  knowledge,  they  have  purchased,  from 
New  York  and  Boston  publishers  alone,  70,000  text-books 
on  ornithology.  These  books  are  not  nature  essays,  but  are 
designed  to  assist  students  in  identifying  birds,  and  their  sale 
indicates  a  corresponding  demand  on  the  part  of  the  public 
for  information  on  the  subject  of  which  they  treat. 

Now  let  me  ask  what  attention  do  our  educators  give  to 
the  development  of  this  inborn  desire  for  a  knowledge  of  the 
forms  of  life  which  live  about  us?  Do  they  appreciate  its 
significance?  Do  they  even  realize  its  existence?  We  have 
biological  and  zoological  text-books  with  lessons  in  compara¬ 
tive  anatomy  and  systematic  relationships,  admirable  for 
those  who  have  sufficient  interest  in  natural  history  to  mas-  - 
ter  the  technicalities  that  beset  its  study,  but  utterly  unsuited 
to  that  infinitely  greater  class  which,  to  paraphrase  an  epi¬ 
gram,  loves  birds  and  hates  ornithology. 


The  educational  value  of  bird-study 


245 


1899  J 

Let  us  aid  the  student  naturalist  to  the  full  extent  of  our 
knowledge,  but  let  us  treat  with  equal  care  the  pupils  whose 
interest  in  nature  needs  encouragement.  And  I  know  of  no 
better  medium  by  which  to  develop  this  interest  than  by  the 
study  of  birds,  for  which,  as  I  have  said,  the  child  has  an  in¬ 
herent  liking. 

I  am  not  pleading  for  the  study  of  ornithology,  but  for  a 
simple  course  of  lessons  which  would  result  in  making  chil¬ 
dren  as  familiar  with  our  common  birds  as  they  are  with  our 
common  wild  flowers.  Almost  anyone  living  in  the  country 
can  name  at  sight  fifty  varieties  of  wild  flowers,  but  who 
knows  a  dozen  birds?  And  why  should  we  not  be  as  familiar 
with  the  more  abundant  birds  as  we  are  with  the  daisy,  violet, 
or  buttercup? 

In  by  far  the  greater  number  of  cases  what  is  the  practical 
result  derived  by  the  student  from  a  course  in  botany?  Is  it 
the  ability  to  define  the  parts  of  a  flower,  or  the  acquisition 
of  a  knowledge  of  our  wild  flowers  and  trees  which  gives  new 
meaning  and  endless  pleasure  to  walks  in  the  fields  and 
woods? 

What  an  admirable  thing  it  is,  this  study  of  botany;  how 
often  it  takes  us  out  of  doors  when,  if  we  had  no  object  to 
prompt  11s,  both  body  and  mind  would  lose  the  wholesome, 
uplifting  influences  of  “the  lights  of  setting  suns,  and  the 
round  ocean,  and  the  living  air,  and  the  blue  sky.” 

I  am  a  flower  lover,  but  as  a  bird  student  may  I  not  be 
pardoned  for  thinking  that  birds  are  infinitely  more  attract¬ 
ive  than  flowers?  Can  the  flower  sing?  Can  it  build  a 
home,  where,  with  an  exhibition  of  many  traits  we  might  well 
emulate,  the  bird-parents  will  rear  their  offspring?  Can  it 
please  the  eye  by  such  an  unparalleled  exhibition  of  power 
and  grace  as  the  bird  in  flight  displays?  Can  a  senseless 
thing  compare  with  a  sentient  one  in  its  interest  for  man? 

Why  is  it,  then,  that  while  flowers  receive  a  measure  of  the 
attention  due  them,  birds  are  virtually  ignored?  The  expla¬ 
nation,  I  believe,  lies  partly  in  the  fact  that  in  our  summary 
treatment  of  nature-studies,  we  give  equal  or  nearly  equal 
attention  to  the  two  great  divisions  of  life,  the  vegetable  and 


*  246  Educational  Review  [March 

the  animal  kingdoms,  calling  the  first  a  course  in  botany,  the 
^  second  a  course  in  zoology;  and  under  botany  we  have  to 

study  only  plants  and  plant-life,  but  under  zoology  we  have 
everything  from  the  lowest  to  the  highest  forms  of  animal 
life,  and  consequently,  each  of  the  great  classes  of  the  animal 
kingdom  will  be  studied  thru  perhaps  a  single  species. 

In  botany,  therefore,  we  have  some  opportunity  to  bring  a 
practical  knowledge  into  the  lives  of  our  pupils  which  will  be 
a  source  of  pleasure  to  them  when  they  have  almost  for- 
-  gotten  the  names  of  other  studies.  But  in  zoology  what  will 
they  learn  about  the  birds  so  abundant  around  them? 

In  reply  to  my  inquiry  concerning  natural-science  studies 
in  the  public  schools  of  the  City  of  New  York,  I  have  been 
given  an  outline  of  the  course  in  elementary  science  for  the 
year  1897—98.  I11  it,  under  plants,  I  find  very  properly  in¬ 

cluded  “  Wild  and  cultivated  flowers  of  New  York  and 
vicinity.”  But  under  zoology  I  look  in  vain  for  anything 
about  the  birds  of  New  York  and  vicinity.  In  fact,  I  find 
birds  mentioned  only  once,  as  follows:  “  Classification  of 
quadrupeds,  birds,  fishes,  radiates,  reptiles,  mollusks  and  a 
prominent  member  of  the  Teachers’  Association  tells  me 
that  birds  will  be  represented  in  this  course  by  one  species, 
either  a  pigeon  or  a  chicken!  So  far  as  a  pigeon  represents 
the  Class  Aves  it  will  doubtless  answer  all  the  purposes  of 
the  instructor,  but  an  attempt  to  make  it  represent  a  class  of 
animals  which  more  than  any  others  may  be  of  personal 
interest  and  importance  to  us,  is  an  evident  failure  to  recog¬ 
nize  the  intimate  relation  which  should  and  does  exist  be¬ 
tween  bird  and  man.' 

Most  people  will  be  satisfied  with  comparatively  little  in¬ 
formation  concerning  clams  and  starfish;  their  experience 

*  with  them  will  doubtless  ever  be  more  or  less  limited,  but 
they  would  like  to  know  something  about  the  birds  that  nest 
in  their  gardens  or  orchards.  Bird-study  thus  has  a  prac- 

^  tical  value.  It  introduces  us  to  creatures  with  whom  we  may 

come  in  daily  contact,  and  does  not  end  therefore  with 
school  days,  but  forms  a  permanent  bond  between  us  and 
nature. 


i899j 


The  educational  value  of  bird-study 


247 


There  is,  however,  another  and  equally  important  reason 
why  we  should  become  acquainted  with  birds;  a  reason 
which  applies  more  especially  to  boys.  Boys  are  huntsmen 
by  nature.  Most  of  them  begin  their  warfare  against  the 
birds  as  soon  as  they  are  old  enough  to  climb,  and  continue 
it  until  they  are  too  old  to  shoot.  Doubtless  more  boys  be¬ 
tween  the  ages  of  ten  and  fourteen  form  collections  of  birds’ 
eggs  than  engage  in  the  pursuit  of  all  other  branches  of 
natural  history  combined.  This  is  a  perfectly  natural  exhibi¬ 
tion  of  an  instinct  inherited  from  ancestors  who  lived  by  the 
chase. 

Now,  while  we  may  all  deplore  the  wanton  destruction  of 
bird-life,  few  of  us  realize  the  potency  for  evil  or  for  good 
contained  in  this  inherent  taste  which  prompts  a  boy  to  hunt 
and  kill.  Let  it  grow  unchecked,  and  it  may  serve  as  a  root 
for  the  most  cruel  traits  human  nature  exhibits — lack  of  sym¬ 
pathy  with  suffering,  disregard  of  the  value  of  life,  the  foun¬ 
dation,  in  other  words,  of  brutality.  If,  however,  we  develop 
it,  arousing  in  the  child  an  appreciative  interest  in  animals 
and  teaching  him  their  economic  and  aesthetic  importance, 
we  shall  at  the  same  time  morally  elevate  him  to  an  immeas¬ 
urable  degree. 

Just  as  a  boy  is  by  nature  thoughtlessly  cruel,  so  is  woman 
naturally  kind  and  tender-hearted.  It  might  be  supposed, 
therefore,  that  woman’s  inborn  love  of  animals  required  no 
special  development,  and  could  never  lead  her  into  sins 
against  nature.  If  this  were  the  case,  however,  should  we 
be  confronted  by  appeals  from  the  Audubon  Societies  for  the 
protection  of  birds,  and  statements  by  authorities  that  the 
annual  destruction  of  bird-life  for  millinery  purposes 
threatens  with  extinction  many  of  our  most  useful  and  beau¬ 
tiful  species?  Bird-study,  therefore,  not  only  has  its 
seesthetic  side,  as  it  opens  to  us  new  fields  of  enjoyment  and 
brings  us  into  closer  touch  with  nature,  but  it  involves  hu¬ 
mane  and  moral  questions  of  the  deepest  import. 

Admitting,  then,  the  advisability  of  giving  greater  atten¬ 
tion  to  birds  than  we  do  to  other  animals  with  which  we  may 
not  establish  such  personal  relations,  what  method  of  in- 


'  248  Educational  Review  [March 

struction  shall  we  follow  in  bringing  them  into  the  class- 
*  room? 

The  classification  which  seems  to  me  the  best  suited  for 

-  •  « 

elementary  instruction  is  seasonal.  This  is  not  only  simple, 
but  natural,  and  it  has  the  additional  advantage  of  so  asso¬ 
ciating  the  bird  with  the  seasons,  that  we  learn  to  think  of  it, 
not  as  a  specimen,  but  as  a  part  of  nature.  Hence,  in  giving 
courses  of  lectures  on  our  native  birds,  I  begin  with  the 
“  permanent  residents,”  or  the  species  which  are  with  us 
thruout  the  year.  To  these  are  added  the  winter  birds,  and 
then  follow  the  migratory  species  which  come  in  March, 
April,  and  May.  This  brings  us  to  summer  birds,  birds’ 
nests,  and  a  study  of  the  home-life  of  birds,  and  the  course  is 
concluded  with  a  study  of  autumn  birds  and  the  retreat  of 
the  birds  to  their  winter  homes. 

These  purely  objective  talks  may  be  followed  by  sub¬ 
jective  lectures  on  the  economic  value  of  birds,  structure  and 
habit,  the  colors  of  birds,  bird  migration,  etc. 

It  is  not  supposed  that  such  instruction  would  result  in 
acquainting  the  child  with  our  entire  avifauna.  It  is  simply 
designed  to  direct  his  inborn  interest  in  animals  in  the  right 
channel ;  to  teach  him  that  birds  were  not  intended  to  be  only 
marks  for  stones,  sling-shots,  and  guns.  It  is,  in  fact,  an 
invitation  to  a  study  which  he  may  pursue  all  his  life  with 
ever-increasing  interest. 

In  conclusion  I  may  summarize  the  whole  matter  by 
appending 

TEN  REASONS  FOR  THE  STUDY  OF  BIRDS 

First — Because  birds  are  sensitively  organized  creatures, 
and  respond  so  readily  to  the  influences  of  their  surroundings 
that  in  their  distribution,  structure,  and  habits  they  furnish 
naturalists  with  invaluable  evidences  of  the  workings  of 
natural  laws. 

Second — Because  birds,  in  preventing  the  undue  increase 
of  insects,  in  devouring  small  rodents,  in  destroying  the  seeds 
of  harmful  plants,  and  in  acting  as  scavengers,  are  man’s  best 


1899]  The  educational  value  of  bird-study  249 

friends  among  animals.  Without  their  services  the  earth 
would  not  long  be  habitable;  therefore  we  should  spare  no 
effort  to  protect  them. 

Third — Because  we  have  an  inborn  interest  in  animals, 
which,  properly  developed,  will  not  only  afford  us  much 
pleasure,  but  will  broaden  our  sympathies  and  morally  ele¬ 
vate  us. 

Fourth — Because  birds,  being  the  most  abundant  and  con¬ 
spicuous  of  the  higher  animals,  may  be  most  easily  studied 
and  observed. 

Fifth — Because  birds  are  beautiful  in  form  and  color  and 
exhibit  an  unequaled  power  of  flight,  their  acquaintance  thus 
stimulating  our  love  of  beauty  and  of  grace. 

Sixth — Because  birds  are  unrivaled  as  musicians;  their 
songs  are  the  most  eloquent  of  nature’s  voices,  and  by  asso¬ 
ciation  may  become  inexpressibly  dear  to  us. 

Seventh — Because  the  migrations  of  birds  excite  our  won¬ 
der  and  admiration,  and  their  periodic  comings  and  goings 
not  only  connect  them  with  the  changing  seasons,  but  so 
alter  the  character  of  the  bird-life  of  the  same  locality  during 
the  year  that  their  study  is  ever  attended  by  fresh  interest. 

Eighth — Because  in  their  migrations,  mating,  nest-build¬ 
ing,  and  home-lives,  bird's  not  only  display  an  intelligence 
that  attracts  us,  but  exhibit  human  traits  of  character  that 
create  within  us  a  feeling  of  kinship  with  them,  thereby  in¬ 
creasing  our  interest  in  and  love  for  them. 

Ninth — Because  with  birds  the  individual  lives  in  the 
species;  the  robin’s  song  we  hear  in  our  boyhood  we  may 
hear  in  our  old  age;  therefore  birds  seem  never  to  grow  old, 
and  acquaintance  with  them  keeps  alive  the  many  pleasant 
memories  of  the  past  with  which  they  are  associated. 

Tenth — Because,  in  thus  possessing  so  many  and  such 
varied  claims  to  our  attention,  birds  more  than  any  other 
animals  may  serve  as  bonds  between  man  and  nature. 

Frank  M.  Chapman 

American  Museum  of  Natural  History, 

New  York,  N.  Y. 


3  0112  041634392 


